


The Organization's Thirteenth

by KeybladeDetweiler



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, OC, OC X CANON, Secrets of the Disney World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 08:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3243665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeybladeDetweiler/pseuds/KeybladeDetweiler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being deserted by their thirteenth member, Roxas, Organization XIII sets their sights on Sora as their new Keyblade wielder. But after they capture him, his close friend Alex begins a search for him, aided by Roxas and Axel. Can Alex save her dearly beloved before he's inducted into the merciless Organization forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

On a warm summer afternoon, in a small city known as Twilight Town, two figures walked down a quiet street. One a boy, the other a girl. Both of them the same age.  
  
"This city is beautiful." The girl said. She had medium-length reddish-brown hair and light blue eyes. "Why didn't you mention this place before, Sora?"  
  
"I didn't remember it too well. I haven't been here in a while." He replied. The boy had caramel brown hair, which he wore in spikes. He was smiling slightly. "Want some sea-salt ice cream?" He pointed to a cart that was selling the frozen salty-sweet dessert.  
  
"Sea-salt ice cream? Sure, but I don't have any money."  
  
"I'll buy."  
  
They went to the cart and he ordered two sticks of the dessert. He paid the man, and then, handed the girl, named Alex, one. They continued their stroll. Alex bit into her ice cream, and tasted what seemed like the ocean's saltiness, followed by a cool sweetness. The flavor made her think of vanilla ice cream with salt, and she savored it.  
  
Then he appeared, out of nowhere. The man in the cloak. A pitch black cloak that shrouded him from head to toe. Alex gasped when she caught sight of him. Sora then noticed him, and immediately became apprehensive. He handed Alex his ice cream, then summoned his weapon, a Keyblade.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, staring hard at the cloaked stranger. He held his Keyblade, prepared to strike at a moment's notice.  
  
"Come with me, Sora." was all that the figure said.  
  
"No."  
  
The figure then summoned his own weapon, a pair of sniper rifles, and then said, "Then I will take you by force. And I  _will_  have you!"  
  
He leapt at Sora, who blocked. "Run!" Sora told Alex.  
  
Alex ran a safe distance away and continued watching them, wanting to abandon the ice cream and to pull out her sword and fight. But she didn't, for reasons unknown.  
  
The cloaked figure was unyielding, shooting his laser projectiles with great speed. But Sora was able to keep up with him, blocking every shot and attacking whenever the chance came. They fought on and on, until the cloaked figure decided that the fight needed to be finished. He turned and aimed an orb of Darkness at Alex, who could tell what his intentions were. As the projectile released from the edge of the equally dark rifle, Sora instinctively turned to Alex and prepared to block it before it hit her.  
  
"Sora!  _No_!" she cried as the boy ran to her. But it was too late. The figured snagged Sora's wrist and began to pull him away. Alex reached for him, and Sora reached back. He managed to grasp one of her hands, until the figure released a dark force from his hand that knocked the girl backwards. The figure then dragged an unwilling Sora into a dark portal he had summoned. Alex called to him as she got up, and then ran to the portal only to have it fade away with Sora and the strange cloaked man inside.  
  
She sighed, her eyes moistening as she looked down at the melting ice cream that she had thrown on the ground in her haste. She cried softly, tears rolling down her cheeks as she fell to her knees.


	2. Chapter 2

After managing to stop the tears and sobbing, Alex began to walk towards the large clock tower in the center of town. As she walked, she thought to herself  _How do I find out where that guy took Sora? Where did that portal go? Why did he want Sora?_  
  
As she walked onwards, she noticed a figure walking towards her. For a moment she thought that it was Sora, free from whoever that guy was. But as he came closer, she noticed that it was an entirely different person. He was around fifteen, with blonde hair done in a bunch of spikes and deep blue eyes that were just like Sora's. In fact, he looked very much like Sora, except for differences in the color of his hair and skin. He wore a white jacket with a checkerboard design at the top and a red and black collar, and long semi-flowing pants. His black shirt was zip-up with a pointed X shaped zipper. He looked to be a resident of the town, and he held a stick of the very same ice cream that Alex had left on the ground not far back.  
  
As he got closer, he gave her a glance as he walked by. But then, he stopped, noticing her reddened eyes.  _She's been crying,_  he thought.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked her as she watched him.  
  
"No." she replied. "I feel terrible."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"My friend was just grabbed by some weirdo further back that way. We were having ice cream, and then the guy showed up. The two of them fought, and then the guy distracted my friend and was able to grab him and take him away."  
  
"What's your friend's name?"  
  
"Sora."  
  
When Roxas heard the name, he was sure that he knew the person that she spoke of. But part of him knew that he did not. With mixed feelings, he decided to ask her a bit more about this Sora that he thought he knew.  
  
"Has he been here before?"  
  
"Yes. A few times, actually. Do you know him?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I'll try to help you find him. What'd the guy look like? Maybe I can help you find him and Sora."  
  
"He was dressed entirely in black. A black cloak, black gloves, black boots. And I couldn't see his face; he wore a hood. I don't know what he wanted with us."  
  
"I'll help you; I know who you're talking about. I'm Roxas."  
  
"I'm Alex. Do you know where we'll find them, Roxas?"  
  
"Yeah, but I can't get there without something. How did the cloaked man take Sora away?"  
  
"You might not believe this, but it was through a dark portal."  
  
"I believe you. I've seen them used before, and I've used them myself."  
  
"Wait, you're…. you're working with that guy, aren't you?"  
  
"No! I don't. At least, not anymore. I know who he works for, though."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The guy could be part of the Organization. Organization XIII."  
  
"What's Organization XIII?"  
  
"A group of people who collect hearts. I used to work with them, until some stuff happened..." he sighed.  
  
"What did you do for them?"  
  
Roxas then closed his eyes, held his hand out in front of him, and summoned a Keyblade. He then opened his eyes and said,  
  
"I was their Keyblade wielder."


	3. Chapter 3

"Your Keyblade! It looks just like… _his_." Alex said, looking at the weapon in shock.  
  
"Whose?" Roxas asked, looking at Alex with a puzzled expression.  
  
"Sora. He's got one just like it!"  
  
"Your friend is a Keyblade wielder? No wonder they took him away. They're looking for a replacement. For me."  
  
"For you? Why?"  
  
"They need a Keyblade wielder to collect hearts from the Heartless. The hearts are used for their big project: Kingdom Hearts. I was their only Keyblade wielder, so after I left, they had my closest friend go after me. But he didn't take me back...he let me go. They're still looking for me, but they've also been looking for a replacement. Your friend...if they force him into the Organization...you might never get him back."  
  
"I've got to. How do we get to the Organization?" Alex asked desperately.  
  
"I can ask my friend, Axel. He's still in the Organization. He might be able to help us."  
  
"Is he somewhere around here?"  
  
"Every day, around sunset, he goes up to the top of the clock tower for ice cream. We used to do it together, before I left."  
  
"Are you two still…friends?"  
  
"Well...I haven't talked to him since I left, but I still see him up there every day."  
  
Alex looked up at the sun and noticing that it was close to setting, said,  
  
"The sun's setting. Maybe we can catch him up there!"  
  
"I'll show you the way. Come on!"  
  
Roxas then began to head for the clock tower, with Alex not far behind.   
  


* * *

Axel, a young and a fiery redhead, sighed after taking the first bite of his nightly serving of sea-salt ice cream. He remembered when he had been able to enjoy the ice cream with his closest friend, Roxas, who had since left the Organization. Even after Roxas had left, Axel still came up to the clock tower and had ice cream, remembering all the wonderful times he had shared with his friend. He knew, however, that if Roxas were to try and come back to the Organization now, he'd be deemed a traitor and would be disposed of. That was the way things were done, and Axel would not be able to do anything to change them, unless the plan that he and Saïx, another member of the Organization, had come up with ever got off the drawing board. But he doubted that the plan would ever come to fruition; why even try to take over the Organization? Xemnas, the Organization's leader, would catch them mid-coup. Axel sighed again and made a silent wish. He wished to see Roxas again.  
  
But he had no idea that the wish would be granted so soon. As soon as Axel had finished his wish, he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see his best friend standing before him, looking just as he had before, though not wearing the uniform of the Organization. He had a girl that Axel had never seen before with him.  
  
"Roxas?!" Axel asked in disbelief.  
  
"Hey Axel!" Roxas said. "I missed you!"  
  
"What're you doing here? If Xemnas or anyone else in the Organization found out that I talked to you, let alone saw you, they'd be after you in no time at all. And I'd be in big trouble."  
  
"I need your help Axel. We need your help."  
  
"What is it?" Axel was now concerned for his friend.  
  
"This is Alex. Her friend was taken by someone wearing the Organization's robes and using a Corridor of Darkness."  
  
"So, you think that her friend was taken by someone in the Organization? And you want me to help find him?"  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
"I haven't heard about any new recruits, but I can check." Axel then said to himself, "Xemnas never orders that new members be taken by force unless they're really important…Alex, what's your friends name, and what does he look like?" he asked her.  
  
Alex then stepped up and said, "His name's Sora." She prepared to tell Axel what he looked like, but Axel paid no attention. His eyes widened as he whispered the name to himself. "Sora."  
  
"Axel, what's wrong?" asked Roxas.  
  
"Do you know him?" Alex asked, still speaking to Axel.  
  
"Yes, I know him." Axel said. "And I know exactly what they want with him. Look, you two need to get out of here. I can get you to another world, where you'll be safe. Luxord had a mission here in Twilight Town today; he's bound to have seen you. And he'll tell Xemnas about it, and then someone will be after you. Probably Xigbar or Xaldin, they're his two big bounty hunters. Anyway, I'll open a Corridor to another world, and you'll stay there until I come find you. I'll go check and see if Alex's friend is back at HQ. If he is, I'll devise a rescue plan. Until then, stay put and don't get caught!"  
  
"Got it." Roxas said.  
  
"Ok." Alex said. "Thank you, Axel."  
  
"Ok, no problem." Axel was opening a Corridor of Darkness at this time. "Remember what I said, don't leave the world and don't get caught by anyone!"  
  
Alex and Roxas bid Axel farewell, and then walked into the portal. Axel closed it and sighed,  
  
"Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?"


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Roxas and Alex had left, Axel finished his ice cream and took a Corridor back to the Organization's headquarters in the World That Never Was.  
  
The Castle That Never Was floated like a space station above the strange city. A large, white space station. Axel entered it from his Corridor, went down a hallway, and entered the main common room, where several other members of Org. XIII were hanging around on dark colored couches, all of them wearing the full black uniform of the organization. In the far back near the large, wall-length window was Saïx, who was currently checking in the Organization's most laid-back member, Demyx.  
  
After he checked in with Saïx and told him of a successful mission, Axel casually whispered, "A little birdie told me that someone caught Sora."  
  
Saïx, who acted as the castle's manager and was Xemnas' right hand man, was blue-haired with a distinctive "X" shaped scar at the center of his face. He looked at Axel, who had been his confidante even before joining the Organization, and then said,  
  
"Yes. Xigbar found him in Twilight Town with a girl. He resisted, as was to be expected, but Xigbar managed to restrain him, as it was his mission."  
  
"What's Xemnas planning to do with him anyway?"  
  
"He's to replace Roxas."  
  
"I see. Speaking of Roxas, I heard he was spotted today."  
  
"Luxord saw him with the same girl that Sora was with, not long after Xigbar had returned. Xemnas wishes to speak with you about it."  
  
"I figured. After all, I'm the one who knew Roxas the best. Hey, do you think you can get me a mission in Agrabah tomorrow?"  
  
"I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Saïx then nodded his head in the direction of Xemnas's quarters, and Axel knew what was next. He'd be asked about Roxas and perhaps Alex as well.  
  
Axel took the stairs to Xemnas's section of the castle. He took a short hallway and then saw Xemnas, who was standing on his favorite balcony and looking up at Kingdom Hearts, the large heart-shaped moon in the sky. As Axel walked towards him, he heard what sounded like quiet crying. He glanced to his right, and his mouth opened slightly in shock.  
  
Sora was there, detained in a cell that was guarded by one of Vexen's high-tech security systems. The cell was made entirely of shatterproof glass, allowing Axel to see inside. Sora sat on the cell bench, looking down at the floor as tears ran down his face. Upon hearing Axel, he looked up and saw the man standing right outside his cell door. He gasped. Quickly, he wiped his eyes, smiled, and mouthed Axel's name. He then got up, walked to the clear cell door, and pressed his hands against it, watching Axel expectantly. Axel was the only ally Sora had in the Organization, making him his only hope for freedom.  
  
Axel sighed.  _He's hoping that I'll let him out,_  he thought. He knew that he could do nothing at the moment except look at Sora and mouth, "I'm working on a plan."  
  
Sora nodded his head in understanding. Suddenly, his face lit up with fear, and Axel turned around to see Xemnas standing right there.  
  
"Conversing with our newest member, I see." Xemnas said.  
  
"Newest member?" Axel asked. "He doesn't look like a member. He looks like a prisoner to me."  
  
"Yes. The only reason he is in a cell is because he has tried to escape several times."  
  
"I'm surprised he hasn't tried again. Seeing as he has a Keyblade and all."  
  
"The cell is specially made to resist the power of the Keyblade. He cannot unlock it."  
  
"Oh. Nice touch. When are you going to let him out?"  
  
"Once he has accepted his position. Or, once we have gotten ahold of the girl he was with."  
  
"What do you need her for if you've got Sora?"  
  
"If Sora refuses to join us, we shall use her as an incentive."  
  
Axel gulped. Then he changed the subject. He placed a hand on Xemnas's shoulder and led him away from the cell.  
  
"So, anyway...Saïx said you wanted to talk to me. What about?" he asked.  
  
"Luxord claimed to have seen Roxas in Twilight Town today, during his mission. You had a mission there as well. Did you happen to see him?" Xemnas asked.  
  
"Roxas? Nope. Haven't seen him since his last day in the Organization. I miss him though."  
  
"Are you sure? You did not talk to him today?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"Very well then. You may go."  
  
Axel began to walk away, until Xemnas spoke up again.  
  
"One more thing, Axel," he said.  
  
"Yeah?" Axel replied.  
  
"Keep away from here unless you need to speak with me. If I catch you here without a reason, you will receive maximum punishment."  
  
"Got it."  
  
Axel turned and headed back towards the common room, Sora watching him leave. Xemnas watched him as well, and then turned and looked at Sora and smiled darkly. Sora looked at him and then sighed. A single tear rolled down his face, for Alex.  
  
Axel headed to his bedroom to turn in for the night, knowing that he'd need the rest for the task ahead.


	5. Chapter 5

Roxas and Alex had since exited the portal. They found themselves in Agrabah, a desert world Roxas had visited many times before, during his Organization days.  
  
"Where are we?" Alex asked.  
  
"Agrabah." Roxas replied.  
  
"You've been here before?"  
  
"Back when I was in the Organization, I used to get missions here all the time."  
  
"Do you know anybody here?"  
  
"Well, sort of. When we did missions, we weren't supposed to actually talk to anybody in the world. Only our partner, if we had one with us. Anyway, my partner and I were watching some townspeople when this giant blue guy found us. He was really excited, and he had a magic carpet with him."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Uh-huh. He said if we ever needed help we could come to him. The only problem is that I don't remember his name."  
  
"Oh. Well, we're not on a mission for the Organization, so we're allowed to talk to other people. Maybe we can find someone here who'll help us."  
  
"But Axel told us not to get caught."  
  
"He probably meant being caught by someone in the Organization when he said that."  
  
"We should keep an eye out for him though. He might come with news and a plan!"  
  
"Sounds good. You know this place, right? Lead the way!"  
  
"Ok."  
  
Not long after they had come to the world, night slowly crept up upon them. Roxas had not been to the world when it was this late, and now he was nervous, and lost. However, he continued to lead Alex through the maze of streets as stalls and shops closed for the night, and homes went dark.  
  
"Any sign of anyone?" Alex asked.  
  
"Not yet. You know, we didn't get sent to the worlds when it was nighttime. I don't know my way around the world when it's this dark."  
  
"Well, I don't know this world at all, so…."  
  
Suddenly, they heard a movement in the shadows, near one of the closed stalls.  
  
"What was that?" Alex asked. She quickly went behind Roxas for protection and held onto his shoulder.  
  
"I don't know…" Roxas replied, a little nervous because of the feeling of the girl who was behind him, clutching him by the shoulder. He'd never had this happen to him with someone he did not know very well, let alone a girl.  
  
The movement was heard again, and a figure was then revealed to them in the fleeting daylight. It was Aladdin, a well-known resident of Agrabah, although he was a street rat. He was dressed in a red fez, a purple vest, and patched-up pants. He was very tan and had dark hair and eyes.  
  
"Hey there! Are you guys lost?" he asked them.  
  
"Uh…yeah." Roxas said, unsure of how to approach the friendly stranger. "My friend and I just got here. I've been here before, but never when it was this dark, so we got lost."  
  
"Well, I've never seen you around before, so when I saw you I decided to keep an eye on you. Just in case you were up to trouble."  
  
"We're not up to any trouble! We were just sent here by a friend who wants to keep us safe." Alex said.  
  
"Safe from who? Or what? Is it those monsters, the Heartless? If so, there are still a few around here, so you're not safe from them here."  
  
"We can handle the Heartless. We're actually running from some people who're after us. These guys in black coats. They're part of something called the Organization." Roxas said. He decided not to tell Aladdin why the Organization was after them.  
  
"An Organization made up of guys in black coats? I've seen them around before; they don't seem to do anything bad, but they're definitely a weird sight to see here in Agrabah. And they're here almost every day."  
  
"How many are usually here?"  
  
"One or two….well, actually I don't really know, since I never see their faces and can't tell the difference. But there's always at least one here. Never at this hour though."  
  
"I thought so. Anyway, do you think you can help us hide? Until our friend comes back for us?"  
  
"Sure thing. I'll take you over to my place and you can spend the night. How long until your friend is supposed to show up?"  
  
"I don't know. He didn't say when, he only said he would come and find us."  
  
"Well, until he shows up, you can stay with me. I'm Aladdin."  
  
"I'm Roxas. And this is Alex." Roxas introduced her, and she waved to Aladdin.  
  
"All right then Roxas and Alex. Follow me!" Aladdin led them towards the large palace at the far end of town.  
  
As they made their way towards the majestic building, Alex asked,  
  
"So, Aladdin, where do you live?"  
  
"With a friend. We're not far from her place." He said, still in the lead.  
  
"Who's your friend?"  
  
"She's really pretty, and a lot of fun. Her name is Jasmine."  
  
"Is she yours?"  
  
"Yep. We're going to be married soon."  
  
"Congratulations! Where does she live?"  
  
"Well, you might not believe me...but she lives in the palace."  
  
"Is she the princess? I think I've seen her before." Roxas said.  
  
"Yeah. She's beautiful. I sure hope she won't mind it if you guys stay with us. She can be kind of difficult."  
  
"I'm sure she won't mind." Alex said.  
  
But when they reached the palace, it was an entirely different story.  
  
"No, Aladdin! They can't stay in the palace! What if they work for Jafar? Or those men in the black coats? You don't have very good judgment when it comes to people, Aladdin." Jasmine said. They were congregated in the palace's throne room.  
  
"You mean the cloaked guys? They're running from them; why would they work for them if they're trying to escape them? Besides, they're not even dressed like them!" Aladdin replied. "Please Jasmine! Just for one night?"  
  
"Oh, all right Aladdin. One night. But after that, they had better find somewhere else to stay, or their friend had better show up. The palace isn't a boarding house."  
  
"We won't make any trouble. I promise." Roxas said.  
  
"Of course you won't make any trouble!" said a voice from the next room. And in walked the boisterous blue figure of Aladdin's friend Genie.  
  
"Why do you say that, Genie?" asked Jasmine. "Do you know them?"  
  
"Well, not the little lady, but I know Roxas! Hey kid, been a while since I've seen ya around. How's it hanging?"  
  
"Fine…um, what's your name again?" Roxas asked, glad to see a familiar face but confused when he tried to remember Genie's name.  
  
"Genie. Last name's Of the Lamp, or was until I lost the lamp. Anywho, what's up? And who's the little lady friend?"  
  
"Ok. Genie." Roxas said to himself. "Well Genie, this is Alex. I'm helping her look for her missing friend. He was kidnapped by one of those guys in black coats."  
  
"Kidnapped by a black coat guy? Hmm, they show up a lot around here, maybe her friend will show up with them. What's his name? Maybe I know him. If not, just tell me what he looks like and I'll keep an eye out." Genie pointed to his ear, and then leaned down so that he could hear Alex whisper it.  
  
"Sora?" Genie whispered excitedly after Alex had told him.  
  
Alex nodded.  
  
"No way! He's visited Agrabah tons of times! It's been a while since I've seen him. How'd he end up getting trapped? He was a good fighter, last I remember. Did something happen?"  
  
"He got caught off guard. While we were walking and having ice cream, the guy showed up. The guy targeted me, then Sora turned around to protect me, and then he was caught."  
  
"That kid's quite a hero. And you seem like a close friend, so no wonder he'd do that for you. That's kind of a brave way to be captured; answering the call of duty."  
  
"Yeah. I just hope I can find him."  
  
"Hey, no worries. I'll help you guys, since I know him and all. You can hang here in the palace for the night, and then we'll go on a sweep of Agrabah tomorrow, just to check and see if he's here. If not, then…"  
  
"We have a friend who's coming. He's going to let us know if her friend is at the Cas- I mean, "Black coat guy HQ"...I guess that's how you'd put it, Genie." Roxas said.  
  
"Oh, you've got a friend on the inside, huh? Well, we can still do our sweep of the city before he shows up, I'm sure. For now, follow me and I'll show you to the guest rooms."  
  
With Jasmine watching in shock, Genie cheerfully led the two children to the guest rooms for the night, as though the palace was his own home.  
  
"If he wasn't so helpful, I'd kick him out." Jasmine said with a huff as she watched him walk away.  
  
Aladdin just laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Axel went to the common room to clock in with Saïx for his mission. Little did he know that he'd learn of an unexpected surprise that awaited him.  
  
"Your mission today is to do reconnaissance in another part of the city, in Agrabah." Saïx said.  
  
"A recon job, yay." Axel said sarcastically. He hated recons. But as long as he was going to Agrabah, he was fine. That was where he had sent Roxas and Alex.  
  
Then, his tone more serious, he asked, "Is anyone else doing a mission there today?"  
  
"Xigbar. He is taking out an enemy in the more familiar area of the world."  
  
"Uh oh." Axel said quietly, so that Saïx couldn't hear him. Although, if he had, Saix wouldn't have worried since he knew that Axel didn't like Xigbar much. Axel quickly looked around the room, and noticed that Xigbar was gone.  
  
"He's already gone off to start his mission." Saïx said, after noticing this.  
  
Axel had a good reason for being upset. If Xigbar was in Agrabah, he'd most definitely catch Roxas and Alex. And if he did so, that would be trouble. He'd heard that Xigbar had been asked to look for both of them, so he was definitely on the lookout. Axel knew that he'd have to get there stat if he wanted to find the two of them before Xigbar did. If he didn't hurry, he'd have to send the two to another world, starting a vicious cycle. So he decided to bring everything he needed for the plan with him. Even if he couldn't get it started and had to ship them off to another world, they would be much safer than before.  
  
He took two Organization cloaks and stuck them under his arm. He then opened a Corridor of Darkness to Agrabah, and stepped in.

* * *

The next morning, after a breakfast feast in the palace, Genie took Roxas and Alex out to sweep the town in hopes of finding Sora or his captor, as he had promised. They looked everywhere, in every part of the town. Currently, they rode on the magic carpet (Who was also very excited to see Roxas) and were doing an aerial sweep of the city.  
  
"Any sign of either of them?" Alex asked.  
  
"Nope." Roxas said.  
  
"I haven't seen anything- wait a sec, it's one of the black cloaked guys! No one's with him, though."  
  
"Is his hood on or off?" Roxas asked quickly.  
  
"It's on."  
  
"What kind of weapon is he carrying?"  
  
"Looks like he's carrying around a pair of red, spiked throwing wheels or something."  
  
"It's Axel." Roxas said to himself. He then said to Genie, "That's our friend! You can land!"  
  
And they did so. As they descended, Roxas cried out, "Hey Axel!" in order to catch his friend's attention.  
  
"What the-?!" was Axel's response when he heard Roxas' voice coming from above. He looked up and saw Roxas and Alex riding a  _flying_  carpet, and coming in for a landing. With them was a giant blue man, who seemed to know them.  
  
When they had landed, Axel told them the news.  
  
"Xigbar is here. And he's on the lookout for you guys." Axel said.  
  
"Xigbar is looking for us?" Roxas asked. He remembered Xigbar, the tough, skunk-striped, eye-patched member of the Organization. Roxas had always been a little afraid of him, now this fear had been magnified.  
  
"Yes. Alex's friend is at HQ, and I've got a plan."  
  
"You do? That's great! When-" Alex was excited, but she was cut off by a sound.  
  
"What is it?" Axel asked.  
  
"Shh."  
  
From the center of town came the sounds of rifle fire. And then a loud crash as whatever had been shot hit the ground.  
  
"He's coming." Axel said. He pulled out the robes he had brought with him, and handed one to Roxas and one to Alex. Roxas recognized the uniform of the Organization. He looked up at Axel, puzzled.  
  
"What do we need these for?" he asked. "We're not joining the Organization."  
  
"You're going incognito. If you wear these, no one will know it's you. You've got to go to another world. I'll come and get you as soon as I can. Got it?"  
  
"But…" Roxas began.  
  
The sound of footsteps came towards them. Axel summoned a corridor.  
  
"Go!" he said.  
  
"But, Axel!" Roxas said.  
  
"GO!"  
  
Alex took Roxas' wrist and pulled him towards the door. Axel took one last look at them, and then they were gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Axel sighed in relief. He turned around and looked at Genie, who had been watching them the whole time. His mouth was now hanging far below his head after seeing what had happened.  
  
"Uh, can I go?" Genie finally asked.  
  
"Yeah. You should." Axel replied, readying his chakrams.  
  
Genie did as he was asked, and took the carpet with him. As soon as they were gone, Xigbar arrived.  
  
"Axel! I didn't know you had a mission here today." Xigbar said, surprised.  
  
"Sure do. Small world, isn't it?" Axel replied.  
  
"It sure is." Xigbar said, his tone suspicious. "Hey, was there something going on over here? I heard shouting."  
  
"I just got over here when I heard the ruckus. But there was nothing. Must've been a brawl over something."  
  
"Yeah. Probably." Xigbar was still suspicious. Axel gulped nervously. Then Xigbar said, "Say, what's your mission? Maybe I can help you out. Just finished part of mine."  
  
"Recon."  
  
"Oh. Nobody likes that. Part of mine was to take down a giant heartless back there."  
  
"Part of it?"  
  
"Yeah. The other part was took look for Roxas. And Sora's girlfriend."  
  
"Any sign of them?"  
  
"Nope. I thought they'd be over here. Did you happen to see Roxas, or a girl?"  
  
"Nope. Haven't seen any girls at all. And haven't seen Roxas since his last day in the Organization."  
  
"Ah. Oh well. They're probably in another world. Guess I'll have to check in the next world I get a mission in. Thanks though."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Good luck on your mission, Axel. Hope you can manage the recon."  
  
"I'll be fine. See you later."  
  
With one fleeting glance back at Axel, Xigbar summoned a Corridor and disappeared through it. Once Axel was sure that he was gone, he sighed, and then turned to start his recon mission, glad that Alex and Roxas were safe at the moment, but worried that may be in danger the next day.  
  
He let out another, longer sigh, and got started on his recon.

* * *

After exiting their second Corridor of Darkness, Alex and Roxas, who were now disguised though not hooded, found themselves in the courtyard of a large, majestic, yet dark and ominous castle. It was yet another world that Roxas had been to during his Organization days, and also a place that Sora had visited. Beast's Castle. Roxas glanced around, looking to see if anyone was present.  
  
"Do you know this world too?" Alex asked, also looking around.  
  
"Yeah. I used to come here very often, for missions. And I was always partnered with her." he said.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Her name was…"  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"Ugh, I can't remember. I never can, even though I remember her. But, this is the world we would almost always end up being assigned to, when we were partnered together."  
  
"Oh. You must have been close."  
  
"Yeah. She was my other best friend. She used to have ice cream every day, with me and Axel."  
  
"What happened to her? Is she still in the Organization?"  
  
"No. I don't like talking about what happened to her."  
  
"Oh, ok. I understand. Let's see if anyone lives here. Do you remember who lives here?"  
  
"The Beast. He lives here, with his servants."  
  
"Do any of them know you? Like Genie did?"  
  
"No. They might have seen me, but they don't know me."  
  
"That's a problem then. We can't just barge in expecting to be welcomed. Not in these disguises. We have to find a different entrance. Maybe the servant's entrance or something like that."  
  
"There was a secret entrance somewhere out here. I can't remember where, though."  
  
"Well, let's look around. I'm sure we'll find it."  
  
The two of them each took a side of the courtyard, Roxas the left and Alex the right. They tried to be as silent as possible to keep from alerting any guards that may have been stationed around. Alex slowly walked down her side, her hand sweeping the wall for a sign of the secret entrance. Then, she felt someone watching her from behind. She turned her head a little and looked back. She saw a figure, who was not Roxas, standing a mere fifteen feet away. Alex could not see him well as the light of the moon only silhouetted him. He was a boy, stood a little taller than her, and had a muscular build, with these being the only details that she could discern. She went back to hunting for the secret entrance, pretending that she hadn't seen him. He didn't come towards her, but he didn't leave either. He just stood there, watching her closely, and she knew this even though she could not see his face. Alex calmly ignored him, trying to resist the urge to turn and look again to see if he had left. She was tense until she heard something that immediately made her forget about the stranger behind her.  
"I found it!" It was Roxas. She turned to see him waving to her, urging her to come and see his discovery.  
  
When she turned towards Roxas' side of the castle, she noticed that the boy she had seen observing her was now gone. Roxas was now frantically waving to catch her attention, wondering what was taking her so long. She came over to him and stared down the dark passage he had uncovered.  
  
"You're sure this is it?" she asked, turning from the doorway to look at Roxas, who was staring down the passage.  
  
He turned to look at her after hearing her question, and then said, "Yeah. It's the same one that she and I found."  
  
"Where in the castle does it go?"  
  
"To either the entrance hall or the attic, depending on which way you go."  
  
"Hmm…we might get caught in the entrance hall, so we should go for the attic."  
  
"Ok. Let's get inside before someone comes outside and sees us."  
  
His comment reminded Alex of the boy she had seen. After entering the passage after Roxas, she asked him, "Hey, Roxas, while we were outside, did you happen to see someone?"  
  
"No. Why, did you?" he asked in reply.  
  
"Yeah. I did."  
  
"Who was he?"  
  
"A boy. I couldn't see what he looked like, only his silhouette."  
  
"Maybe it was Sora."  
  
"Nah. Sora would've run up calling my name and would have made a big scene. He might have even hugged me." She smiled and sighed, and a tear ran down her cheek as she thought about him.  
  
"You two must be good friends, huh?" Roxas asked, smiling.  
  
"Yeah. We're really close."  
  
"You must really miss him."  
  
"Yes. I have to find him. Who knows what the Organization will do to him?"  
  
"I think I can imagine what they'd do."  
  
The two then continued down the passage silently, groping down the hall, until they came to the attic, which was just as dark as and even more cluttered than the passage they had come down.  
  
"Do you know the way from here?" Alex asked.  
  
"I think so. But, one question. What do we do now that we're inside?"  
  
"I guess we look for someone in the household. Maybe they can give us a room."  
  
"What about our disguises?"  
  
"We can say that they're travelling cloaks. I'm sure someone here will be willing to help."  
  
"I'm not so sure."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Listen." Roxas put a hand up to silence her. Then, they heard it. A loud, thundering roar. It shook the castle from top to bottom.  
  
"Is that….?"  
  
"Yes. The Beast."


	8. Chapter 8

After two more roars, the castle was quiet. Alex shuddered.  
  
"Is he really that bad?" she asked.  
  
"I really don't know. I never saw him. She did, but I'm pretty sure she scared easy, so her account probably wouldn't be very detailed or true."  
  
"Well, we just have to avoid him. That's all."  
  
"He's normally in the castle's West Wing. If we stay away from there, we should be fine."  
  
"Ok. Do you know where the servants usually are?"  
  
"The hallway, near the west wing. One of them is always patrolling it."  
  
"Who's usually on patrol?"  
  
"Normally it's the clock."  
  
"Ok…wait, did you say clock?"  
  
"Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but there's a clock who acts like the boss of the whole place."  
  
"A clock as in the kind that you use to tell time?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"A  _talking_  clock."  
  
"A clock can't boss people around if it can't talk."  
  
"Ok, well…. let's find this clock. Do you know his name?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Did he seem nice or helpful at all?"  
  
"Not really. He was usually very serious."  
  
"Hmm, maybe we could look for someone else. Did you see any other members of the household in your past visits?"  
  
"There was a candelabra that sometimes patrolled the hall instead of the clock."  
  
"Maybe he'll help us. Do you know when he patrols?"  
  
"I don't know his schedule, but maybe he's on patrol right now. Let's go see."  
  
Roxas led Alex through a number of doorways until they arrived in the entrance hall. He led her up the left stairwell and into the west hall.  
  
As they had hoped, a golden candelabra, all three of his candles lit, and with human facial features on his center candle, was hopping back and forth down the hall on patrol. Alex approached him cautiously, lowering herself to his eye level.  
  
"Erm…excuse me?" she said. She was roughly a foot away from the candelabra.  
  
It quickly spun around, unintentionally blowing out it's own flames. It was shocked to see two teenagers cloaked in black, and quickly began to interrogate them in a heavy French accent. "Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want?" he said rapidly.  
  
"We got lost and found this castle. We were wondering if we could stay here for the night." Alex said.  
  
"Well, the Master's orders are to keep people out of the castle, but you two look like…." He examined them, and was about to continue speaking until he fully saw their cloaks.  
  
"Those cloaks you wear! They are the same ones that the man who troubled our Master wore. Are you in league with him?" His eyes narrowed.  
  
"No! These are just our traveling cloaks. We've never been here before, and we don't know anybody who could possibly have been troubling your Master." Roxas lied. He had been here before, and he knew the person that had done the Master of the castle harm, although he didn't know that the person had done it. The only truth in his comment was his answer to the candelabra's question.  
  
"Well, if you are not in league with him, you may be able to stay one night."  
  
"Only one?" asked Alex.  
  
"The master would be furious if he found you here. We can get away with having you for one night, if we keep quiet about it, but he'd find out if we kept you any longer. Cogsworth would tell."  
  
"Who's Cogsworth?" asked Roxas.  
  
"The Master's Major Domo. He does everything the Master asks of him. If the Master suspected anything, he'd ask Cogsworth, and that would be the end of it."  
  
"I guess we'll be fine if we stay for one night. I hope he comes for us tomorrow."  
  
"Someone is coming for you?"  
  
"Yes. He was with us when we got lost, and he told us to seek shelter in the castle until he came back for us." Alex said.  
  
"Oh. Well, if I could, I'd allow you to stay as long as you needed to, but I cannot. Hopefully this person comes for you tomorrow. Now, are you hungry?"  
  
Alex and Roxas hadn't eaten since Breakfast in Agrabah. They both nodded their heads in response.  
  
"Good. I will escort you into the dining hall. And, if you need me, my name is Lumiere, second in command of this castle's household staff."  
  
"I'm Alex."  
  
"Roxas."  
  
"A pleasure. Now, follow me, if you please." Lumiere said with a bow. He led them back into the entrance hall, down the stairs, and towards the exit. But before reaching the exit, he made a sharp right turn and led them through the middle doorway.  
  
They found themselves in the dining hall, a spacious room with a table large enough to seat at least fifteen people, although no one occupied it.  
  
"Has your master already had dinner?" asked Roxas.  
  
"He prefers to dine alone, in his room." Lumiere said solemnly.  
  
"Does he ever come out?"  
  
"Not often. He is very lonely and temperamental."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Have a seat. I will go and tell the kitchen staff to start cooking, and will be back in a moment."  
  
Lumiere exited the room through the kitchen doors as Roxas and Alex took seats on opposite sides of the table, right across from each other.  
  
"Do you know if Sora ever came here?" asked Roxas, once Lumiere was out of earshot.  
  
"I think so. He said he knew the Beast." Alex replied.  
  
"Maybe if we tell them that we're looking for Sora, they'll let us stay longer. Just in case Axel doesn't show tomorrow."  
  
"I don't think we should be getting them involved. After all, this is more our business than theirs."  
  
"I know. But what if Axel doesn't show up tomorrow? We'll be flung out of the castle and will probably end up sleeping on cold hard ground at night."  
  
"What if he does show?"  
  
"Even better."  
  
"We'll just have made them worried. Let's not tell. You can tough it for one night, if we are stuck sleeping outside, can't you Roxas?"  
  
"Sure I could."  
  
"Well then, don't worry. Anyway…did you hear what Lumiere said about our clothes?"  
  
"Yeah. He said that someone that tormented the master of the castle wore the same ones."  
  
"Which means?"  
  
"Someone from the Organization has been here messing around. I wonder who it is."  
  
"You know them better than I do."  
  
"If I think long enough, I bet I can figure out who it was. It definitely wasn't Axel, and Demyx is way too chicken..." Roxas quickly became lost in thought.  
  
"I'll just leave you to it." Alex said quietly. She began to think herself, about the boy she had seen in the courtyard. Who was he? She was still thinking about him when Lumiere returned to check up on them.  
  
"Dinner will be served in a moment." He said to them. "What would you like to drink?"  
  
"Water." Alex said, pulled from her thoughts by Lumiere.  
  
"And the young man?"  
  
"Water for him as well."  
  
"Alright. Two glasses of water." And with that, Lumiere left again.  
  
Alex calmly lay back in her chair to watch Roxas. Somehow, whenever she looked at him, she thought of Sora. She had no idea why; the thoughts just came to her. It didn't seem like Roxas knew Sora, and Sora had never mentioned Roxas, so why did it seem as though the two were connected? Alex pondered this.  
  
Until she heard the noise.  
  
It came from the courtyard. The sound of battle. Loud crashes, battle cries, the whole nine yards. Alex shot up from her chair and ran to the other side of the table. She pulled Roxas from his thoughts.  
  
"What's wrong? I almost had the name." He said.  
  
"There's something going on out in the courtyard. We should go see." Alex replied.  
  
"Should we let Lumiere know?"  
  
"No. We shouldn't get him worried."  
  
The two of them rushed out of the room in no time at all, leaving Lumiere befuddled as he wondered where the two young guests had gone.  
  
"They must have had to take care of some business." He said, shrugging it off.  
  
When they reached the courtyard, they found a man garbed in the same clothing that they wore. He was slaying Heartless with several long pointed rods that he used to control the wind. Roxas recognized him instantly.  
  
"It's Xaldin!" he whispered. "He must have been the one who was causing the master of the castle harm."  
  
"What do we do? We can't just walk up to him. He knows you." Alex said.  
  
"Put your hood on and follow me." Roxas said as he lifted his hood up. Alex followed suit and the two of them walked towards Xaldin, who was finishing off the last of the Heartless that he had been engaged with.  
  
"Someone else had a mission here today?" Xaldin said to himself, noticing the two of them. "I wonder who they could be." To them he said, "Excuse me, fellow members of the Organization!"  
  
The two of them turned to look at him, their hoods still on.  
  
"Have you seen the renegade Roxas and a girl?"  
  
They shook their heads in response.  
  
"Are you certain?"  
  
They nodded their heads.  
  
"Very well then. Sorry to trouble you. Continue with your mission."  
  
They walked past him casually, thinking that he did not suspect anything, until Xaldin suddenly turned and struck Roxas hard on the back with one of his rods, causing the boy to fall to his knees and cry out in pain. His hood fell down in the process.  
  
"Roxas!" Alex cried as she knelt down beside him to make sure he was alright, her hood still on.  
  
"I thought so." Xaldin said smugly. To Alex he said, "No need to hide under that hood anymore, young lady. I know who you are."  
  
"You're not taking us in." Alex said. She summoned her sword.  
  
"I have no time to fight an amateur. You will either come with me of your own free will, or I will drag you away."  
  
"No thanks."  
  
"Fine then. Any last words?"  
  
"I shouldn't waste them here."  
  
"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to the boy."  
  
"Why not just take care of me first? Ladies first, you know."  
  
"We need you alive. Roxas is a traitor, and is therefore destined for termination. My mission is to terminate him and bring you to Xemnas."  
  
Alex went into a battle stance, preparing to attack Xaldin as he aimed the pointed tip of one of his rods at Roxas, who was still on the ground, backing away in fear. However, they were interrupted by a voice.  
  
"Guess what, Xaldin?" it said.  
  
"It can't be!" Xaldin said, looking up at the castle gates, where a Corridor of Darkness had appeared. A flaming projectile shot out of it, knocking Xaldin to the ground and sending his rods flying.  
  
"Mission failed." It was Axel.  
  
"Axel!" Roxas cried, leaping up from the ground.  
  
"Thanks, Axel." Alex said, putting away her sword. Xaldin roared with fury.  
  
"Ok, you're welcome." Axel said, rushed. "Fine. Whatever. Both of you get through that Corridor. NOW!"  
  
"Let's go!" Roxas said, taking Alex by the hand.  
  
"One more thing. Meet me in the common room!" Axel cried as he threw his other chakram at a charging Xaldin, who leaped over it as he charged at the two escaping teens.  
  
"I will not fail." Xaldin said. He reached for Alex, but never caught her. By the time he had made it to where they'd been standing, they had jumped into the corridor and were now long gone. Again, Xaldin roared with anger.  
  
"Let's finish this already." Axel said, readying his weapons.  
  
 _I hope they heard me,_  he thought.


	9. Chapter 9

Alex and Roxas, having managed to narrowly evade Xaldin by taking Axel's Corridor, found themselves in the World That Never Was. After Roxas had realized where they were, he began to quickly lead Alex through the streets.  
  
"So, this is the Organization's world?" Alex said as Roxas pulled her along.  
  
"Yeah. Let's get over to the Castle before anyone catches us." Roxas said.  
  
After a few strangely peaceful minutes, they found themselves right beneath the castle. They took the long glass ramp up to the entrance, still in disguise. If everything went as planned, Axel would meet up with them in the common room, and then take them to find Sora. Because he had once known the place rather well, Roxas took the lead and Alex followed him.  
  
When they arrived in the common room, they found it to be deserted. They took their hoods off.  
  
"They must be having a meeting in the Round Room." Roxas said, as he looked around the empty room.  
  
"What are they meeting about?" Alex asked.  
  
Her question was answered not by Roxas, but by Axel, who had just appeared behind them.  
  
"They're preparing to induct Sora into the Organization," he said plainly.  
  
"What?! We've got to go to him! Now!" Alex cried.  
  
"Xemnas hasn't ordered anyone to go get him yet…he may still have a chance. Follow me. And put your hoods on."  
  
They did as they were asked, and Axel led them down another hall, this one leading towards Xemnas' quarters. Before they could go any further, however, Xigbar stopped them.  
  
"Axel! Where are you going? And who are they?" he pointed to the teenagers.  
  
"They're new recruits. I'm taking them to Xemnas." Axel lied.  
  
"Xemnas said that I was supposed to handle new recruits. Besides, he's preparing for Sora's induction ceremony."  
  
"I had no idea."  
  
"Whatever. I'll take them from here. You get over to the Round Room."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll take them."  
  
"I don't think so," Xigbar made one of his sniper rifles materialize in a playful way. Axel stepped back.  
  
"I know what you're going to say. It's your job, I get it. Go ahead; they're all yours." To Roxas, he whispered, "I'll be back in no time flat. Watch her, 'kay?"  
  
"Got it." Roxas whispered back.  
  
When Axel had left, Xigbar's attention turned to the two mysterious young figures he had with him.  
  
"So, Axel thinks he can bring in a couple of new recruits without telling anyone, huh? As if. Let's see who's under here." Xigbar said as he reached to pull down Alex's hood. Without thinking, Roxas summoned his Keyblade, placing it between Xigbar and Alex.  
  
"Oh ho! We have a Keyblade wielder in our midst. Who could it be?" Xigbar turned his attention from Alex to Roxas. The boy lowered his Keyblade and did nothing as Xigbar pulled down his hood.  
  
"It can't be…Roxas!" Xigbar cried. Roxas said nothing, and stared straight ahead.  
  
Xigbar turned to face Alex and jerked her hood down.  
  
"And you're…!" he trailed off.  
  
He suddenly grabbed them both by the shoulders and dragged them down a different hall, away from Xemnas' quarters, and away from Sora. He then opened a white door, and shoved Alex in before slamming it shut and dragging Roxas away.


	10. Chapter 10

Alex looked around the cold, pure white room. It was silent, and she thought that she was alone. Until he appeared.  
  
The boy in red. A red and black suit that made it seem like he was made of only muscle, although he was not. The suit went from his feet to his neck. His head was shrouded in a silver helmet with dark colored glass that Alex thought was similar to the ones that prison guards from the future would wear.  
  
 _He's obviously here to guard me._  She thought.  
  
But she was wrong. The boy approached her, walking in long, proud strides. She backed away slightly.  
  
"Who're you?" she asked.  
  
"What's it matter to you? I'm here, you're not alone, right?" he said.  
  
Alex gasped. The boy sounded exactly like Sora, but his voice was much deeper. She thought for a moment that the Organization could have taken Sora's voice and given it to this boy in order to trick her. She recomposed herself and then said, "Really, who are you? And what do you want with me?"  
  
"You really want to know?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Alex expected the boy to remove his helmet, but something else happened instead. The glass of his mask seemed to evaporate, and as it did, it revealed a face that Alex had not been hoping or expecting to see. Sora's. The only difference was that he had golden-yellow eyes instead of blue, and that he had jet black hair instead of caramel brown.  
  
"Huh?!" Alex stumbled back in shock  
  
"Do I look familiar?" The boy asked teasingly.  
  
Alex nodded. "Sora?" she asked, trembling. "Did they…?"  
  
The boy laughed. "No."  
  
"Then who are you? I want a name."  
  
"I am," The boy paused, and then summoned a Keyblade. "Vanitas."  
  
"Vanitas?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Ok. Well, what do you want with me?"  
  
"I'm giving you a chance to escape them."  
  
"I'm guessing you mean the Organization?"  
  
"Yes. Come with me, and they can't hurt you."  
  
"I can take care of myself, thanks."  
  
"If you stay here, they'll get rid of you. Just like your friends. You might want to think about my offer."  
  
"No. I can't leave. I can't abandon him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Sora."  
  
"You mean the loser in the cell down the far hall? What do you want him for? I'm so much better."  
  
"My loyalty lies with him. He promised to protect me, and I promised to protect him. I have to stay. And even if there was no promise, I still wouldn't go with you anyway."  
  
"Why not? I won't hurt you." His voice sounded almost kind, like Sora's normally did. It sounded as though he cared about her. But Alex had never met him before in her life. He was a total stranger, despite the fact that he had the face and voice of someone she knew. Not letting that stop her, she scowled at him and said, "You look like a jerk."  
  
This time, it was Vanitas who took a step back, fear twinkling in his eyes. It was true. This boy, a total stranger to her, liked her somewhat. Enough to care if she came with him. She thought that she had won their little fight, but the thought was immediately wiped from her mind when the small inkling of fear in Vanitas' eyes morphed into pure hatred. She stepped back a little more, afraid of what he might do despite the fact that he had said he would not harm her. But even though she feared him greatly, she would not give into his demands. She would not leave with him.  
  
"Well, promise or no promise…he said that I could have you." the boy said, furious. He pointed his Keyblade at her.  
  
"Who?" Alex raised an eyebrow.  
  
"My Master."  
  
"Well, your Master was wrong. I'm not yours! I'm no one's!"  
  
"You can try to run away, but I'll find you. You can try to fight me, but I'll take you down. You can even try and get your boyfriend to fight me, if you can manage to bust him out. I'll just kill him."  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"I would. Then, you'd be all mine."  
  
"I'll fight you."  
  
"Go ahead. See who wins."  
  
The two of them went into battle stances and prepared to spar. Vanitas made the first strike, pushing her back a little. She lunged forward, aiming for his shoulder, but Vanitas made a skillful counter. It did not take long for Alex to realize that she would not be able to win against him; he was too strong. He would eventually wear her down and then would force her to go with him. Or so she thought.  
  
It happened in a matter of seconds. First, she saw the movement in the corner of her eye. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, he appeared just as Vanitas swung at her again. She closed her eyes, and then there came the loud clang of weapons clashing together. She opened her eyes and saw that instead of striking her, Vanitas had struck Roxas' Keyblade. She smiled  
  
"What?!" Vanitas cried when he saw Roxas, who was holding his Keyblade straight out in front of the girl. "Why are you here? They were supposed to get rid of you!"  
  
"There's been a change of plans." Roxas said. Vanitas scowled.  
  
Suddenly, from down the hall, Xigbar's voice rang out.  
  
"He's escaped!"  
  
"Who?" It was Xemnas.  
  
"Roxas. He managed to get loose!"  
  
"Find him. Do not allow the traitor to escape. He may go to rescue the girl."  
  
Roxas turned his head and spoke to Alex.  
  
"Go! Now! Before Vanitas tries to hurt you again! Go find Sora!"  
  
"Yeah." Alex said as she lifted her hood. As she left the room, she whispered, "Thank you, Roxas."


	11. Chapter 11

Alex darted out the door, past Xigbar, and then down the hall. She tried to will herself not to look back at the cacophony that ensued behind her, but she did it anyway. As she did, she saw Roxas being held up by the collar by Xigbar. Vanitas was beside them, giving Roxas a smug look. He then turned to look straight at her before he began to run after her. She turned to look forward again. I've got to find Sora, she thought.  
  
Once she reached the intersection, Alex looked around to find the hall that Axel had been leading them down, right before they'd been caught. She scanned the area and found it, just as Vanitas yelled out, "You can't run!" She bolted over to it, far from where she'd started. Vanitas had just made it to the intersection.  
  
 _Slowpoke,_  she thought.  
  
Then, she took the stairs upwards, then went down a short hallway. She saw Xemnas' favorite balcony, and the door to his quarters. But there was no sign of anybody. She sighed.  
  
 _Where's Sora? Axel said he was down this way…_  
  
She looked forward, then to her left. As she looked around, she finally noticed the quiet hum of a machine, and then heard a soft yet heavy sigh. She slowly looked to her right, in the direction of these sounds, and saw Sora sitting in his glass prison. She flung herself towards the cell, her hood flying down in the process. He stood up as soon as he saw her face appear out from under the black shroud. Then, at the exact same time, both of them pressed their hands against the glass, and it looked like they could have been touching had the glass not been there.  
  
"You're safe!" Sora cried through the unbreakable barrier, but his joy did not last long. He suddenly looked behind the girl fearfully, and Alex turned around to see what it was that was scaring the normally brave Sora. And when she did, she found Xemnas looming behind her. She nearly cried out at the sight of him as she backed into the glass door of Sora's cell.


	12. Chapter 12

"And who allowed you into this part of the castle?" Xemnas asked.  
  
Alex was too scared and shocked to answer him. She simply looked up at him with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and awe.  
  
"I see." Xemnas turned back to where he had come from. He watched as Vanitas, his face once again covered by his mask, ran up to him, breathing heavily.  
  
"I tried. But he interfered." Vanitas said, nodding back towards Roxas, who was struggling to get free from Xigbar's clutches. Xigbar dragged Roxas forward. Xemnas studied them both. He glanced back at Sora and Alex.  
  
"Although you may have failed this first time," he said to Vanitas, "You have another chance." He then turned to Sora, and still speaking to Vanitas as he began to disarm the security system, said, "This time, I think that the young Hero of Light should watch you in action. What do you think, Vanitas?"  
  
"It'll be my pleasure to give him the show of his life." Vanitas replied, smirking behind his mask.  
  
"Roxas may watch as well, as it seems that he is also a friend of the girl."  
  
"Roxas?" It was Sora's turn to speak now as the door to his cell slid open. He laid his eyes on the struggling boy in Xigbar's grasp. Roxas did the same. The two of them locked eyes. And then, they both recognized each other. You see, Roxas was Sora's Nobody. They had met once before, although Sora had been asleep. He still knew who Roxas was, though he did not know that much about him.  
  
"What're you going to do to her?" Roxas cried, staring scornfully up at Xemnas as soon as he had managed to tear his gaze away from Sora. Sora was now staring at Vanitas; he knew something was wrong with this boy just as Roxas did.  
  
"He's not going to do anything to her." Vanitas replied, still smirking at Roxas from behind his mask. He grabbed Alex by the wrist and began to drag her back to the room where they had first encountered each other as she resisted him. As he took her away he finished his sentence. "I am."  
  
"No! Don't!" cried Sora, who was being pulled from his cell by Xemnas and Saïx, who had come to the scene unnoticed by everyone but Xemnas.  
  
"Shall we follow them?" Xemnas asked.  
  
The group silently followed Vanitas and Alex back to the room. Sora and Roxas, still detained, were pushed to the front so that they could see through the doorway. And what they saw was not pleasant at all.  
  
Vanitas had summoned his Keyblade and had it inches away from Alex's chest. She slowly stepped back, sword in hand, but for every step she took back, Vanitas took one forward.  
  
"This is your last chance." he said menacingly. "Either you come with me, or else."  
  
Alex looked at him, then Sora, who had a rare, serious expression on his face. He mouthed "No. Say no." Alex looked back at Vanitas and did just that.  
  
"No."  
  
"You sure about that?" Vanitas asked, cocking his head slightly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Fine. Have it your way." The glass of his mask vanishing, he lunged towards her, grabbed her wrist, stuck it behind her back, and twisted it hard, her sword clattering to the ground. He grabbed hold of her other arm as well to keep her from escaping, although he did nothing to hurt it. The girl seethed with pain, and although she tried to hold it in, she eventually broke down and cried out.  
  
"Sora!" Her painful plea for his help rang out across the room.  
  
"What're you going to do now?" Vanitas was staring at Sora, taunting him with a malicious smirk. "Come on, you're the hero! Come and get your girlfriend before I break her wrist!" As he said this, he twisted harder. Alex moaned louder.  
  
Try as he might, Sora could not get free of Saïx's tight grip. Saïx was using some sort of power to keep his powers at bay. Sora clenched his teeth as he watched, feeling her pain. He longed to get loose and break Vanitas' wrist because of all the pain he was causing.  
  
Roxas saw and felt the pain on their faces and knew that he had to do something. He elbowed Xigbar in the stomach, kicked him in the shin, and then was free. He summoned his Keyblade and charged. The edge of the blade landed squarely on Vanitas' shoulder. He winced with pain and gripped the injured shoulder with one hand, letting Alex's left arm go in the process. However, he did not let go of Alex or her injured wrist. He twisted it even harder, because he wanted to make Roxas feel as though what he'd done hadn't done a thing to help her.  
  
"Let go of her!" Roxas demanded through clenched teeth.  
  
"Why should I listen to you?" Vanitas asked teasingly, still wincing from the pain in his shoulder.  
  
"Because I can hurt you just as bad as you're hurting her. Maybe even worse."  
  
Vanitas let go of his shoulder and shot a dark force from his hand. It sent Roxas flying backward.  
  
"I'm only interested in fighting him." Vanitas said, nodding to Sora. "I don't care about an idiot like you."  
  
Roxas looked at Vanitas and scowled. But Vanitas had his eyes on Saïx, who nodded in understanding. He loosened his grip on Sora ever so slightly, allowing him his powers.  
  
Sora broke free.  
  
He summoned his Keyblade and charged just as Roxas had. However, Vanitas did not stop him. He gave Alex's wrist a final twist, then let go of her as he summoned his own Keyblade. After letting out one final cry of pain, Alex fell to her knees and coddled her wrist, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks. Sora felt the pain too, and it gave him even more of an urge to hurt Vanitas.  
  
"You're toast!" Sora cried, gripping his Keyblade tightly. He wanted so badly to knock Vanitas senseless for hurting his friend and because he didn't like the idea of being mocked by what must be an evil clone of him. He was preparing to enter his battle stance, until he saw Alex trying to stand up, right in the middle of the fight.  
  
Vanitas had noticed this and had his leg poised for a kick in her direction. Alex, with one useless arm, was struggling to stand back up on weakened knees so that she could get out of the way of the fight. But Vanitas planned to keep her there so that she would have a chance of being hurt much worse than before. She looked up at him.  
  
"Don't! I'll…" Her eyes darted to her sword.  
  
"What?" Vanitas asked, staring at her. "Fight me? Not the way you are now."  
  
"I know, but…I have to try." She looked over at Sora. "I have to help you." She said to him. He smiled at her as he came over to help her up. Once she was on her feet, he handed her sword to her, and the two of them stood in their battle stances, ready to take on Vanitas.  
  
After examining his opponents, Vanitas laughed. "You think that you'll be able to take me down? Just the two of you?"  
  
"We can try!" Sora said.  
  
"You're not going in alone!" It was Roxas. He had once again broken free of Xigbar's grasp, and was now at their side, also in his battle stance.  
  
"Roxas! How did you…?"  
  
"Don't worry about it! Let's just fight!"  
  
And they charged.  
  
The three of them rushed Vanitas from different sides. Sora straight on, Alex to his left, and Roxas to his right. He jumped to get away from them, and then, on his way back down held his Keyblade out, ready to strike Sora, who was below him. Sora slid out of the way, just as Vanitas reached the ground. Sora swung his Keyblade at Vanitas, who ducked before running towards Alex. Meanwhile, Roxas, who was at the far end of the room, was preparing his own attack. He watched Vanitas closely to see where he was headed, and then he summoned a second Keyblade and charged. Sora watched him, suddenly remembering that he could also use two Keyblades. He summoned another, and charged as well, opposite Roxas. The two boys were headed straight for Vanitas, who was inches away from Alex. He prepared to strike her, but she countered and hit him in the stomach with her sword hilt. He keeled to his knees, making him vulnerable and unable to escape the oncoming attack. In a matter of seconds, both boys were upon him, and were attacking with full force. Vanitas could barely stand the attack strength of four Keyblades, and when Alex gave him a firm kick in the stomach, it looked as though he was done. They backed away from his sprawled out form and sighed in relief at the thought of Vanitas vanquished. As Roxas gave both Sora and Alex potions to heal them, Xemnas roared with rage.  
  
"No! Vanitas, finish them! Now!" he cried.  
  
A burst of insane laughter came from Vanitas' crumpled form. He leapt up, and the threesome quickly prepared to fight him again.  
  
"My pleasure." Vanitas said to Xemnas. He summoned his Keyblade and prepared to attack, but a burst of flames stopped him in his tracks. Axel now stood between Vanitas and the other three teenagers, his hands outstretched in a protective way.  
  
"This is the last time I bail you out." He said. "Get moving!"  
  
In no time flat, the three of them were out of the room and down the hall, ready to leave the castle for good.  
  
Back in the room, Axel was now preparing to fight Vanitas.  
  
 _The things I do for you, Roxas. I hope you're grateful._  He thought as he whirled his chakrams around in his hands. He was ready to fight, but Vanitas only looked behind him at the door.  
  
"What're you waiting for? Let's fight already!" Axel yelled to him.  
  
"I'm supposed to go after them." Vanitas said, now staring at Axel. "But I think I can fit in a quick fight. You shouldn't take too long."  
  
"Fat chance." And in a flash, Axel was slashing at Vanitas, throwing his chakrams with full force and shooting flames out of his hands at every available moment. Vanitas was quick to counter and strike, as he normally was.  
  
 _Did they not wear him down at all? What is up with this kid?_  Aloud, he said, "Xemnas! What kind of joke is this? This kid is unstoppable!"  
  
"He is unstoppable because he is the darkness that was once inside a heart. He was extracted and given human form, and was used to serve my will, when I was whole." Xemnas explained.  
  
"Of course. Another Xehanort experiment; I should have known." Axel said to himself. "Can he be eliminated at all?" he asked Xemnas.  
  
"Only by the person whose heart he originates from. At the cost of that person's heart, of course."  
  
"I'm guessing that person isn't around anymore. Well, I'll fight him as long as I have to. I'm not letting him get near my friends again."  
  
"Indeed. Well, Axel, enjoy your eternal fight. We must go retrieve our new Keyblade wielder and the girl. And of course, must eliminate Roxas." Xemnas turned towards the door, Saïx and Xigbar following him.  
  
Axel shuddered at the last few words, and after knocking Vanitas to the ground in a bout of fury, summoned a Corridor of Darkness and dove in, determined to get to his friends before Xemnas, Saïx, and Xigbar did.  
  
Xemnas only laughed at this. "Fool." He said, summoning his own Corridor.  
  
"Come, Saïx, Xigbar, Vanitas. We must hurry and finish this."  
  
Vanitas got up easily, as though being attacked hadn't affected him at all, and the four of them entered the corridor, ready for the final confrontation.


	13. Chapter 13

Sora, Roxas, and Alex were as far away from the castle as they could be. They sat in the farthest alley from the castle, tired from their long run. A drizzle of rain poured from the dark sky.  
  
"Is Axel coming to get us out of here or what?" asked Alex.  
  
Neither Sora nor Roxas replied. They only stared at each other, deeply interested with one another.  
  
"I never thought I'd meet you. For real." Roxas said to Sora.  
  
"Same here." Sora said.  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Alex asked. No one had told her who Roxas really was, and she was keen on knowing.  
  
"Should we tell her?" asked Roxas.  
  
"She needs to know." Sora replied.  
  
"Know what? Tell me!" Alex said expectantly.  
  
"Well..." Roxas began. "There's something you should know about me. I'm Sora's Nobody."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I told you about when I was turned into a Heartless, right?" asked Sora.  
  
"Yeah. Why?"  
  
"When you're turned into a Heartless, a Nobody is created. And Roxas is mine."  
  
"I guess that explains why he looks a lot like you. And why I think of you whenever I look at him. But, you're not a Heartless anymore. Why is he still around?"  
  
"It's because he cares so much for others." Roxas said. "Because he's so full of love, when he was brought back from the darkness, I stayed around. But I've been told that it wasn't best that way."  
  
"Because of the Organization?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I think I understand. But there's just one other thing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"How are you able to be around each other if you're technically part of him?"  
  
"I…don't know."  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm perfectly fine with all of this. It's a little weird, I'll admit, but it's been amazing. Seeing all those worlds. And it's cool to befriend another side of Sora. You're both so different, yet you're the same."  
  
"He makes a good other." Roxas said.  
  
"You do too." Sora said. "Thanks for helping her, Roxas."  
  
"I only did what you'd have done."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks, Roxas." Alex said.  
  
"You're both welcome, ok? But it's not over yet. We need to get out of here. I don't know if Axel will ever finish fighting Vanitas, so we should look for our own way out. I've never left the world without taking a Corridor of Darkness, and since I can't do that anymore, I have no ideas. Anyone else?"  
  
"Sora?" Alex asked, as she'd never been to this place before.  
  
"I was waiting for you guys to ask. See that green portal over there?" Sora pointed to a small green hole in the far corner of the alley. Alex had just barely noticed it before then, and Roxas had never seen it before.  
  
"When did that get there?" Roxas asked. "It definitely wasn't here last time."  
  
"Yeah, I see it." Alex said. "Where does it lead?"  
  
"It leads to a gateway between this world and a virtual Twilight Town."  
  
"A  _virtual_  Twilight Town?" Roxas was very befuddled at the moment.  
  
"It's a virtual version of the city that's inside Ansem the Wise's computer in the Old Mansion."  
  
"But I smashed that computer!" Roxas said.  
  
"It was perfectly fine when I saw it."  
  
"Maybe it was fixed. Anyway, how will we get back to the real Twilight Town through the virtual one?"  
  
"There's a way into the real one through the virtual one. I'll show you. You guys ready to go?"  
  
"I sure am. I'm not waiting around to see Vanitas again." Alex said, holding her injured wrist close to her.  
  
"I guess. I'm still  _really_  confused." Roxas said.  
  
"Let's get going. Oh, and you can ditch those disguises; I don't think they really matter anymore." Sora said.  
  
Alex and Roxas responded by pulling off their cloaks, boots, and gloves and leaving them in a pile on the ground. Since they had been wearing all of their clothes underneath the cloaks, except for their shoes, they were ready to go. After making final preparations, the three of them entered the small portal, Sora in the lead.  
  


* * *

Axel nearly jumped out of the Corridor in his haste. He found himself in the alley at the far end of the city, where he had hoped to find Sora, Roxas, and Alex.  
  
"Ok guys, let's–where are they?" Axel found that he was speaking to no one. The three of them were gone; the only trace he found of them was the discarded robes on the ground. He looked around, wondering where they'd run off to, when it hit him.  
  
 _They've gone through that portal, to the virtual Twilight Town,_  he thought.  _Why couldn't they have waited for me?_  But then, Axel realized that since Sora had once found his way into the Organization's world through that portal, he was very likely going to lead them back to Twilight Town and to safety.  _Maybe Xemnas thinks they're still in the city. If I can throw him off…_  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when a second Corridor appeared and Xemnas, Saïx, Xigbar, and Vanitas stepped out of it.  
  
"Oh. Axel." Saïx said. "We weren't expecting to find you."  
  
"Well, you did. Ta-da!" Axel said.  
  
"Where are they?" Xemnas demanded. "What world did you send them to?"  
  
"Why d'you figure I sent them to another world?"  
  
"That's what you've been doing the whole time with Roxas and Sora's girlfriend." Xigbar said. "You've been shipping them from world to world hoping that they wouldn't get caught. But you never had us fooled."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Saïx told me about how you began to make requests as to which world you were sent to for missions." Xemnas explained. "This was very out of the ordinary, and so I started to suspect that you had seen Roxas and were assisting him in evading us. When I sent Xaldin to Beast's Castle to supposedly eliminate a major Heartless threat, it was actually to look for them."  
  
"So you knew the whole time?"  
  
"Yes. You really thought you had outsmarted us, Axel." Saïx said with a small smirk.  
  
"I sure did." Axel said to himself.  
  
"Well, now that you're up to speed, where'd you ship the little brats?" Xigbar asked.  
  
"I didn't send them anywhere. They weren't here when I got here. I suspect they're still in the city somewhere."  
  
"Although I highly suspect that he's lying," Xemnas began. "Saïx, patrol the city. Look for them."  
  
"Yes, Lord Xemnas." Saïx said, summoning his Claymore and sprinting back towards the castle.  
  
Xemnas then summoned his blades and pointed them at Axel.  
  
"I do not trust you, Axel. Xigbar, go search the worlds for any sign of them. Start in Wonderland."  
  
"Gah! I was hoping you wouldn't say Wonderland." Xigbar groaned as he summoned his guns, opened a Corridor, and stepped in.  
 _Phew!_  Axel thought, thinking that the danger had passed.  
  
"Vanitas," Xemnas said, turning to the last of his accomplices. Axel tensed, remembering that the boy had come with Xemnas and the others.  
  
"Yes?" the masked boy replied.  
  
"Take that portal over there, to Betwixt and Between. They may have gone that way."  
  
Vanitas summoned his Keyblade, Void Gear, and walked into the portal obediently.  
  
Xemnas glared at Axel and slowly began walking after Vanitas. Axel knew he had to do something. The three teens might be able to fend Vanitas off long enough to escape, but if Xemnas showed up, it was all over.  
  
Axel summoned his chakrams and flung one over Xemnas' head.  
  
"Hey Xemnas!" he taunted.  
  
"Do not get in my way, Axel!" Xemnas roared.  
  
"Sorry, but I kind of have to. I promised I'd always be there for my friends!"  
  
"Fool!" Xemnas turned and leapt towards Axel, slashing his blades.  
  
And they sparred.  
  
 _I hope they can take care of Vanitas._  
  


* * *

After exiting the portal, the three youths found themselves in a place that looked like a large, swirling vortex.  
  
"Where are we?" asked Alex, looking around.  
  
"No idea." said Roxas.  
  
"Don't worry. Just follow me." Sora said, leading them towards the other end of the vortex, where a bright, white light shone.  
  
"That's the way out?"  
  
"Yeah. Come on."  
  
They began the trek across the large space between themselves and the exit. After a few peaceful moments, they had nearly made it to the end, when a voice called out,  
  
"Not so fast!"  
  
"Vanitas!" Alex cried, turning to see the masked boy after recognizing the all too familiar voice. Her wrist throbbed.  
  
"Thought you could get away." The boy said to her. She backed away slowly. Sora and Roxas immediately came in front of her, ready to fight for her because she could not (at the moment).  
  
"Don't come any closer!" Sora warned, Kingdom Key at the ready.  
  
"Or what? You can't win. You beat me up, and I'll just get right back up and keep on fighting." Vanitas said.  
  
"He's right." Roxas whispered to his Somebody. "Remember how he jumped back up seconds after we managed to beat him?"  
  
"I know, but if we don't do anything, he'll hurt her again. I can't let that happen." Sora whispered back.  
  
"Me either. But what can we do?"  
  
"We'll just have to fight. Maybe we can hold him off long enough to escape."  
  
"It's worth a try. Let's go."  
  
"You really want to fight, Vanitas? Fine, let's go!" Sora said aloud. He and Roxas entered their battle stances. Alex followed suit.  
  
"No Alex. Go!" Sora said.  
  
"Why? You need help!"  
  
"Your wrist," he looked to it. "You can't fight when it's broken like that! Get to safety; we'll handle him."  
  
"I'll manage." The three of them prepared to fight, once again in battle stances. Vanitas prepared to strike, but something stopped him. He full-heartedly wanted to attack, but something kept him at bay. The other three noticed this.  
  
"Why isn't he attacking?" asked Roxas.  
  
"I don't know." Sora said. "Let's go, while we can! Come on!" Sora quickly turned and headed into the light. Roxas began to follow him, but noticed that Alex wasn't moving at all.  
  
"What are you doing? Come on!" he cried to her.  
  
Alex had already decided not to leave until she had asked Vanitas a few things. "Why aren't you fighting?" she asked.  
  
"Remember what I said? I'm letting you go." Vanitas said darkly. "Even if I don't really want to."  
  
"Why?" Alex asked.  
  
"Because, when Xemnas gets here, you're really in for it. I was serious back there. I didn't want you to get hurt. I only sprained your wrist because Xemnas threatened that he'd get rid of you instead of giving you to me." He lied, mostly. Even though he did like her a little and sought her company, he didn't mind harming her one bit.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I was supposed to get control of you after I did what Xemnas asked; he wanted me to hurt you so that he could use Sora to his fullest. But then that idiot Axel ended up busting you out."  
  
"I wouldn't want to be stuck with you anyway."  
  
"Whatever. Just go already, unless you really want to get it!"  
  
Alex quickly turned and ran past Roxas into the light. Roxas, with one last look at Vanitas, followed.


	14. Chapter 14

Vanitas sighed heavily. He knew what was coming next because he had failed to complete his task. And it wasn't going to end well. He turned and walked back into the Darkness to face Xemnas.  
  
What he saw after coming back through the portal, though, he was not expecting at all. Axel had Xemnas pinned up against the wall, one of his chakrams poised to kill. Although Xemnas was in a very tight spot, as soon as he saw the boy he immediately asked, "Did you find them?"  
  
"No." Vanitas lied. "They weren't there."  
  
"You let them escape?!" Xemnas roared, seeing right through the lie. Axel could tell that his former boss was ticked, so he let him go and hopped into the portal without another word, knowing that his work was done. Xemnas charged at Vanitas and grabbed the boy's arm, yanking it hard.  
  
"What did I say would happen if my orders were not obeyed?" he growled, leaning in, inches away from Vanitas' mask.  
  
"That I would receive the maximum punishment." Vanitas replied, almost robotically. If he feared Xemnas at all, it didn't show.  
  
"Then why did you allow them to escape?"  
  
"It's the connection I have with that loser Sora, just because he's got Ventus' heart inside of him. He likes the girl so much, it rubbed off on me."  
  
"You showed them mercy?"  
  
"Only her. If she'd listened to her boyfriend and left before they had started fighting, I would've wiped the other two out in no time at all. But she wanted to stay and fight."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
"I couldn't attack. I wanted to, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. Then Sora bailed and Roxas followed him, and after a little while, Alex left too."  
  
"Why didn't you follow them?"  
  
"I didn't want to go after her."  
  
"I thought that you could not love! You are made of pure darkness!"  
  
"I don't love anyone, not even her. I don't know what went wrong."  
  
"Get out of my sight before I destroy you."  
  
Vanitas quickly ran back towards the castle. Xemnas watched him leave, and then turned back to the portal.  
  
"Perhaps not today, but soon. Soon."  
  


* * *

Alex held Sora's arm tightly, staying close to him as they walked out of the Old Mansion, finally back in the real Twilight Town. She felt extremely safe with him by her side, and was determined not to lose him again.  
  
"Where to now?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know. Even though we closed the pathway from the virtual town to here, the Organization can still follow us." Sora said.  
  
"They can follow us anywhere." Roxas said. "Their Corridors of Darkness let them go wherever they want."  
  
"I know. I don't know where we can go."  
  
"Well, we might as well enjoy the time we have. Follow me."  
  
The three of them walked into the dark woods, winding their way through the maze of trees before coming out through a hole in the city wall. Shortly afterwards, Roxas bought them some sea-salt ice cream and then led them to the top of the station clock tower.  
  
"What a beautiful view!" Alex said as she swung her legs over the side of the ledge, ice cream in hand. "No wonder you came up here every day!"  
  
"Yeah, it is beautiful." Roxas said, sitting down beside her. Sora sat down on her other side. The three of them took in the view and ate their ice cream before Sora finally spoke up.  
  
"Why did you guys take a little longer, when we ran from Vanitas?" he asked.  
  
"I was ready to go, but I was waiting on her." Roxas said. "Vanitas was talking to her. Something about what happened back in the Castle."  
  
"What happened?" Sora was now looking at Alex.  
  
"He was just trying to convince me to go with him by pretending to be all sympathetic. I didn't believe him. Back there, he was telling me that he was serious about all of that "I won't hurt you." stuff. I think he was just trying to trap me." Alex said.  
  
"Maybe he was serious." Roxas said.  
  
"No way!" Sora shouted. "He nearly broke her wrist! And he was just swarming with darkness. I could tell."  
  
"Just because someone uses darkness doesn't mean that they have entirely bad intentions." Roxas countered.  
  
"He told me that he didn't mean to sprain it." Alex said.  
  
Sora was shocked at this. "What a liar! No one ever "accidentally" hurts someone like that. It was entirely on purpose!"  
  
"I think he was lying." Alex said. "If he was, he's really good at it. He seemed really sincere." She turned back towards the sun.  
  
"Well whatever all that was about, I'm glad you guys are alright." A voice said from behind them.  
  
They turned to see the source of the voice. "Axel!" they all cried in unison.  
  
"I thought…" Roxas said, trailing off.  
  
"What, you thought that Vanitas had done me in? Nope. I'm fine." Axel said.  
  
"You're okay. That's good to know." Sora said.  
  
"Yeah. After all you did for us, we were hoping you'd come out of all of this okay." Alex said.  
  
"Well, you got what you were hoping for." Axel said. He then quietly whispered, "Although I had to make a major decision."  
  
Roxas overheard him. "What did you do? What happened?" he asked.  
  
"I quit the Organization."  
  
"Why would you do that? They'll be after you now, too."  
  
"I know. But what else was I supposed to do? Xemnas would have had me come after you guys. I couldn't do that."  
  
"Well, where are you going to go?"  
  
"I dunno. I'll figure it out soon enough. Right now, though, we have to get those two home." He nodded to Alex and Sora. "Xemnas really wants to get his hands on Sora more than anything. We have to get him out of harm's way. Alex came with him, and they want her as well, so she has to go too."  
  
"But the Organization can get to any world."  
  
"Yeah, but if they don't have any leads, they won't know where to start. Xigbar's in Wonderland right now. It'll take him forever."  
  
"When do they have to leave?"  
  
"A.S.A.W.F.O.I.C. As soon as we finish our ice cream." Axel pulled out some ice cream for himself. "Come on, eat up. We'll tell them the plan once we've all finished."  
  
The four of them sat and ate their ice cream. They had eventually all finished, Roxas being the last. He took a quick look at his stick and noticed that it said "Winner" on it. He quickly turned to Axel and said, "Look what I got!"  
  
"Guess what everybody! Roxas has got us covered for next time!" Axel said, snatching the stick from Roxas' hand playfully and showing it to the other two.  
  
"Nice. Free ice cream!" Sora said.  
  
"Yeah, cool. But, "next time"?" Alex asked.  
  
"What do you mean "next time?"? Of course there'll be a next time!" Axel said. "Once Xemnas cools down and no one's on our tails, the four of us can come up here and have ice cream again."  
  
"That sounds great." Alex smiled. "We'll have to plan on that."  
  
"We should. Hold onto that stick, Roxas. Don't go using it for when you're craving ice cream!" Axel handed the stick back to him.  
  
"Hey!" Roxas laughed as he grabbed it. "You know I won't!"  
  
"I was just kidding with you. Anywho, I think it's time to go."  
  
"Hmm?" asked Sora.  
  
"We need to get the two of you out of here. Xemnas is bound to send someone to come get you."  
  
"Where can we go?" asked Alex.  
  
"I really don't know. But you have to go somewhere. Roxas, any ideas?"  
  
"You could take the train." Roxas said.  
  
"That's right! We can go to Master Yen Sid's house." Sora said.  
  
"He lives here?" Alex asked.  
  
"Yeah! He's a train ride away."  
  
"Ok. That works."  
  
"It's settled then. Come on, we'll see you off." Axel said, getting up and turning to leave. The other three followed.  
  
After a short walk, they were inside the train station getting ready to leave. While Sora went to get the tickets, Alex said goodbye to Axel and Roxas.  
  
"Thank you Axel." She said, shaking his hand as she though a hug would be too awkward. "You've done so much; I don't think I can ever repay you."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Axel said. "Any friend of Roxas' is a friend of mine."  
  
"That's good to know. Bye, Axel."  
  
She then turned to Roxas. A few seconds of silence ensued. Then, she suddenly enveloped the blonde in a tight, though not too tight, hug.  
  
"Thank you so much Roxas." she said as she hugged him. Roxas was taken aback by this act of kindness, but did nothing to resist. He allowed her to continue hugging him as he replied, "You're welcome."  
  
"Really," Alex said, letting go of him. "I owe you big."  
  
"You don't owe me anything. We're friends. Friends do stuff like this for each other."  
  
"But, you did a lot. Keeping Vanitas from hurting me, and agreeing to help me in the first place, even though you had no idea who I was."  
  
"It's really no big deal. Anyway, before you go, I wanted to give you this." He handed her a small pink drawstring pouch. Alex prepared to open it, but Roxas stopped her.  
  
"Don't open it until you're on the train."  
  
"What is it?" she asked.  
  
"Something to remember me by."  
  
"Ok. Thank you." She hugged him one more time, and this time, he hugged her back. Just before letting go, she said, "Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye." he replied.  
  
Alex turned around to find Sora standing there with the tickets, waiting for her.  
  
"You ready?" he asked.  
  
"Yep." she replied.  
  
"Ok." He then took Alex's hand and led her up the stairs towards their train. In a few minutes they had both boarded, and Sora was in the doorway, saying his final goodbyes.  
  
"Make sure to come back here sometime so we can have ice cream again." Axel said to him.  
  
"We'll be back; you can count on it!" He said with a smile before turning to Roxas. "Thanks Roxas. For everything."  
  
"Don't mention it." Roxas said with a smile.  
  
"Bye!" Sora said to both of them, his trademark grin spread wide across his face.  
  
"Later!" Axel said. "Take care of her!"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"See you soon!" Roxas said.  
  
"Bye!" Alex said from behind Sora, waving the pouch in the air as she waved goodbye  
  
The train doors shut and the train pulled from the station with a hiss. Axel and Roxas parted ways.

* * *

Inside the train, Alex sat on one of the plush seats beside Sora, holding his hand.  
  
"I'm glad all of that's over with." he said. He then asked her, "Is your arm okay?"  
  
"Yeah, it's fine." she replied. She looked down at the small pouch Roxas had given her. Sora noticed it.  
  
"What's that?" he asked, looking at the pouch.  
  
"Roxas gave it to me. He said not to open it until I was on the train."  
  
"Well you're on the train now. Open it!"  
  
"Ok. Here goes." She pulled open the small bag and upended it. Out fell a small round blue crystal that fit perfectly into the palm of her hand.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, lifting it up to her eye level so that she could examine it better. It sparkled in the little sunlight that shone through the train's windows. She tore her gaze from it and looked to Sora, hoping that he might be able to tell her what exactly she held in her hand. She saw him reach into one of his pockets and withdraw an identical crystal.  
  
"Sora, do you know what it is?" Alex asked, now positive that he had the answer she was looking for.  
  
"It's a crystal from the town's Struggle Trophy. Struggling is this sport they've got; I'll tell you more about it sometime. Anyway, there are four different colored crystals on the trophy, and the trophy is one-of-a-kind."  
  
"So why are there two blue crystals?"  
  
"I think the one Roxas gave you…is a copy."  
  
"A copy?"  
  
"It's kind of hard to explain. But anyway, I don't think it's a good idea to tell everyone that you have a second blue Struggle crystal."  
  
"So it can be our secret. Between you and me. And Roxas."  
  
"Yeah." He smiled.  
  
"Okay! It can be a secret lucky charm!"  
  


* * *

Alex jolted awake and sat up in her bed in the hotel room, her dream still fresh in her mind.  
  
 _What an adventure that was,_  she thought to herself.  _I've never had a dream like it before._  
  
She began to get out of bed when suddenly she felt something in her hand. Why she hadn't noticed it before, she wasn't sure, but she looked at it now and saw a small drawstring pouch in her hand.  
  
 _Just like in the dream, she thought. I wonder…_  
  
She pulled open the pouch and there it was, plain as day: the sparkling blue crystal Roxas had given her in the dream. Without another thought, she slid out of bed, ran out the door and bolted down the hall before stopping at the door to one of the boys' rooms. She flung the door open and ran over to Sora's bed, where he lay sound asleep. She shook him violently, whispering his name over and over until he woke up.  
  
"What is it Alex?" he mumbled tiredly, his eyes barely open. He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. "It's one in the morning."  
  
"You will not believe this. I had this crazy dream where someone in a black coat kidnapped you, and I met your Nobody Roxas and he helped me find you."  
  
"Roxas? He was in your dream?"  
  
Alex felt a little more lax; Nobodies were real, and Sora did have one named Roxas. She continued.  
  
"Yeah. There was this boy named Vanitas who looked and sounded almost exactly like you. And there was this whole Organization; they were the ones that kidnapped you. And there was someone named Axel who helped me and Roxas. Anyway, here's the most important part. At the end of the dream, when you were finally safe, Roxas gave me something to remember him by. A small blue crystal. I showed it to you, and you had one of your own, and…"  
  
"Hold on," Sora said, now more awake. He grabbed his jacket from the bedpost and rummaged in one of the pockets until he found the crystal. "Is this what you're talking about?"  
  
"That's it alright."  
  
"How could Roxas have given you one if I had one? This is one of a kind, he couldn't have-" he cut himself off, suddenly remembering something. "That explains it." he said to himself. He turned his attention back to Alex, who was holding the pouch.  
  
"What's that?" he asked, still holding his own crystal.  
  
"This was in my hand when I woke up." she said as she opened the pouch. She pulled her crystal from the pouch, and then placed it in his hand. The two identical crystals now sat side by side.  
  
"What? How…?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Sora's face was suddenly lit up with an interested excitement. "I need to know the whole dream. Don't leave  **anything**  out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note: Sora and Alex's interaction at the end takes place during the Secrets of the Disney World continuity,


End file.
